Mandible

The poems collected here gently trace the arch of the mandible, following the nuances of its curves, studying its power as a vehicle for language. Like the jawbone unhinged, Dema’s poems speak with a loose and ancient understanding, all the while working to find their counterpart, searching for the other half to compliment, to create a voice that can someday speak in one accord. And perhaps this is the most memorable element of Dema’s poetry—its ability to be inviting, to allow readers a way to hinge their mandible to her own.